Romania has entered an energy crisis

Vladimir Mitev, Nova TV, 3 August 2026

Summary: The energy crisis in Romania (August 2026)

Romania is facing serious pressure on its energy system due to drought, low water levels in the Danube and high temperatures, which are affecting electricity generation.

Key points:

• Problems at the ‘Cernavoda’ nuclear power station: One of the station’s reactors has been shut down, and the second is at risk of being shut down due to a lack of sufficient water for cooling. Attempts have been made to blast through rock to redirect the water flow towards the plant. The “Cernavoda” nuclear power station provides approximately 20% of the country’s electricity.
• Decline in hydroelectric generation: The drought has also led to a significant decline in output from the country’s hydroelectric power stations.
• Government measures: A state of emergency has been declared in the energy sector. The authorities are urging citizens to limit their consumption during the evening peak hours (18:00–23:00) and are holding talks with major industrial firms to reduce their load. At present, there is no discussion of electricity rationing.
• Electricity imports: Romania is making up for the shortfalls (which reach up to 1,800 MW at peak times) through imports – including from Ukraine (which has operational nuclear power stations), as well as through potential imports from Bulgaria and Greece.
• Grid balancing and the role of prosumers: The country faces a shortage of industrial batteries for storing energy from renewable sources, leading to the export of cheap electricity during the day and the import of expensive electricity in the evening. As a solution, the focus is on so-called prosumers (households with renewable energy sources and batteries with a total capacity of approximately 800 MW), who are encouraged to feed electricity into the grid during peak hours.
• Prices and the market: No change in prices is expected for end-user households on fixed-term contracts, but wholesale prices on the exchange are rising, which could put pressure on the regional market in the event of a prolonged crisis.

Interview

Introduction

On 3 August 2026, Nova TV interviewed Vladimir Mitev about the energy crisis Romania has entered. Vladimir Mitev provided information on the importance of the ‘Cernavoda’ nuclear power station to the Romanian energy system, the problems the heatwave is causing for the country’s hydroelectric power stations, electricity imports from Ukraine, the lack of sufficient batteries in Romania, and the important role of prosumers.

The ‘Cernavoda’ nuclear power station

Miroslava Ivanova, presenter:

The news regarding the Romanian ‘Cernavoda’ nuclear power station is that one reactor has been shut down. And now the question for our colleague, journalist Vladimir Mitev, whom we will be joining via Viber: is this possibility being discussed, and is there a risk that the entire power station could be shut down? Good morning.

Viktor Nikolaev, presenter:

Good morning.

Vladimir Mitev:

Good morning. Yes, it is said that, unless certain measures are taken and the water supply is adjusted – that is, unless larger quantities are ensured – the second unit of the ‘Cernavoda’ nuclear power station may only continue to operate for another four days. In fact, yesterday an attempt was made to blast a rock to allow more water to reach this branch of the river, where the ‘Cernavoda’ nuclear power station is located. The attempt was unsuccessful, but it has been announced that these attempts will continue today. But, of course, measures are also being taken in many other areas.

Miroslava Ivanova:

What exactly, for example? What else is being done? And let’s explain why water is important for the ‘Cernavoda’ nuclear power station. Does it cool the reactors? Is that the reason?

Vladimir Mitev:

Yes, it is simply necessary for cooling. Furthermore, the ‘Cernavoda’ nuclear power station is an important part of Romania’s energy system. When both reactors are operational, it is estimated that they generate approximately 20 per cent of Romania’s total electricity.

At present, all of this is important because, on the one hand, water levels in hydroelectric power stations are found to be lower. There are numerous hydroelectric power stations in Romania, and the country relies heavily on hydroelectric power, but at present this is being generated in smaller quantities. Furthermore, we have this issue with the Cernavodă nuclear power station, which needs to be resolved. And, on top of that, it appears that electricity consumption has begun to fall across the entire region. As you can see, power stations are also being shut down in Hungary, and so on.

So, the Romanian government is trying to reduce electricity consumption. On the one hand, a state of emergency was declared in the energy system as early as Saturday, which allows for quicker decision-making.

But an appeal has also been made to the public to use less electricity during the evening hours – roughly between 18:00 and 22:00–23:00. Similar discussions are taking place with major industrial producers – such as cement works, steel foundries and so on.

Electricity imports from Ukraine

Viktor Nikolaev:

Is it possible to ration electricity in such a situation? Or is no one mentioning such an escalation of the problem?

Vladimir Mitev:

So far, I haven’t heard of any such discussions. It is true that the situation is more tense, but it has nevertheless been mentioned that Ukraine is prepared to supply electricity to Romania. Some time ago, Romania was helping Ukraine in this regard, and now it seems that this electricity will be supplied at market prices. So, at the moment, the situation is not particularly serious.

Viktor Nikolaev:

But there is talk of importing electricity generated within Ukraine. It strikes me as paradoxical for a country at war, but this option is currently being discussed, isn’t it?

Vladimir Mitev:

I believe it is not just being discussed, but is also being put into practice, from what I’ve read in the press. Ukraine has quite a few nuclear power stations, so personally, I’m not surprised. There have been discussions about the fact that both Bulgaria and Greece could be sources.

The shortage of batteries in Romania and the importance of prosumers

I’d like to draw attention here to an important detail: in Romania there are plenty of renewable energy sources, but there is a problem – the shortage of batteries. Contrary to what some sections of the media and our people in Bulgaria were boasting about earlier this year – we do have plenty of batteries. And this leads to a situation where, let’s say, at midday, Romania exports its surplus to Bulgaria, whilst in the evening it imports it back at higher prices.

Miroslava Ivanova:

Because there’s nowhere to store it…

Vladimir Mitev:

Yes, this problem was identified in Romania at the start of this year. And, in fact, Romania currently has another advantage, linked to so-called ‘prosumers’. That is, people who, in domestic settings, in their own homes, generate electricity from renewable sources – namely solar panels. And there is a trend for them to install more and more batteries. In fact, the Association of Prosumers and Energy Communities has called on these prosumers to connect to the grid and supply electricity to the system precisely during these evening peak hours. The capacity of their batteries is approximately 800 MW.

Miroslava Ivanova:

If the ‘Cernavoda’ power station were to be shut down completely, could the total amount of electricity required by Romania really be offset by imports and the measures you have described here?

Viktor Nikolaev:

And I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned what proportion of total consumption ‘Cernavoda’ accounts for.

Miroslava Ivanova:

Yes, let’s clarify that point as well.

Vladimir Mitev:

I said it is 20 per cent.

Electricity prices and the electricity shortfall

Miroslava Ivanova:

And the other question is about prices, because if a power station were to close in Romania, it is assumed that prices would rise significantly across the whole region. Or is that not the case?

Vladimir Mitev:

Electricity prices in Romania are, in principle, high. What has been announced is that, as people have signed contracts, there will be no changes to them; however, at some point, if this crisis continues, it is possible that this will have repercussions – the fact that the prices at which electricity is supplied to distributors are higher.

There was also a statement yesterday indicating that, at peak times, there was a shortfall of around 1,800 megawatts, which had to be imported. I myself cannot say to what extent… It is clearly a large amount, but I am not an expert and cannot say whether it is that difficult to cover. In my view, they’ve been managing so far; there are no signs to suggest otherwise. It simply seems that the situation calls for more proactive measures, including more intensive negotiations with other countries in the region and, generally speaking, action on regional markets, etc.

Viktor Nikolaev:

Thank you very much for your comment and for the image from Romania. The impact of these low water levels in the Danube, combined with the high temperatures, is manifesting itself in this way. I can say that this time I am pleasantly surprised by the ‘Kozloduy’ nuclear power station, because, obviously, no one here is explaining that we have such a problem. It seems we don’t – at least not at the moment.

Miroslava Ivanova:

Otherwise, let’s save electricity. It’s beneficial both for our personal bills and for our personal budgets, as well as for the system as a whole. We’d like to thank Vladimir Mitev.

Photo: Cernavoda Nuclear Power Station (source: Petr Štefek, CC BY-SA 3.0 CZ, via Wikimedia Commons)

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